


Spare me your feelings

by lunaemoth



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Asexual Daud (Dishonored), M/M, Royal Spymaster Daud (Dishonored)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-04-22 21:11:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14317239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaemoth/pseuds/lunaemoth
Summary: Royal Spymaster Daud gets more attention than he's interested in (or so he thought) when the best Guard of Serkonos, Corvo Attano, arrives to Dunwall.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> NB: I'm french, english isn't my first language and this isn't betaed so you can expect some mistakes. If anything bothers you please send me a nice comment with the correction.
> 
>  
> 
> You can find me on my sideblog for videogames: http://ashkaarishok.tumblr.com/

Daud observed the reception in honor of Duke Abele with a sharp eye. He wasn’t standing far from Empress Jessamine, her daughter and her guest, but he stayed in the shadows, where most dismissed him. That didn’t seem to include the bodyguard of the Duke, who was throwing him glances when he thought Daud wouldn’t notice.

“High Overseer Campbell seems to have indulged quite a bit, Sir,” Thomas warned as he reached the Spymaster’s side.

“Make sure he keeps his hands to himself, especially around the Serkonans,” Daud ordered as he crossed his arms. “Do you have anything about the bodyguard?”

“Corvo Attano is highly respected by his fellow guards, recognized unanimously as the best swordsman of the Guard, a fair officer and a good man. Any attempt to get anyone to badmouth him was met with hostility. He has their loyalty and the Duke’s ear. Apparently, he’s perfect.”

“No-one is perfect,” Daud murmured.

“That’s what Campbell thinks too,” Rulfio commented as he stepped in urgently. “He just accused him of heresy in front of the other nobles, and he’s on his way now.”

Daud stifled a curse and went to warn the Empress, but it was too late. As he reached Royal Protector Curnow’s side, Campbell was already stumbling out of the crowd and calling for the Duke’s attention.

“Your Highness, your bodyguard seems to have gained a reputation unlike any other's.”

“Corvo is my best man,” Theodanis agreed with good nature and patience. By his side, Jessamine knew the High Overseer much better and tried to get him back into line with a warning glare, in vain.

“Some may wonder how his abilities have been gained,” Campbell continued.

“What are you implying, High Overseer?” Theodanis demanded with a more displeased frown.

“Unusually high abilities are often the sign of supernatural involvement, your Highness. Too many individuals are tempted to dabble in the arcane to further themselves…”

“High Overseer Campbell, those allegations are hardly appropriate,” Jessamine tried to intervene and salvage the party. They had already attracted the attention of every noble in the vicinity and others were starting to notice the scandal brewing.

“Leave it, my dear,” Theodanis sighed. “This is nothing Corvo hasn’t heard. I suspect we’ll have to pacify your Overseers like we did for those of Serkonos.” The Duke glanced to his bodyguard, who bowed his head compliantly. “It is my understanding, High Overseer, that users of the arcane can be identified by a mark on their body or an artefact on their person. Surely, if you can testify that Corvo uses neither in a fair fight against one of your best, your worries would be put to rest.”

“That… would do,” Campbell agreed, crossing his arms to appear more sober and imposing.

“I hope you won’t mind a bit of nudity, my dear, nothing indecent, don’t worry,” Theodanis told Jessamine, who glanced at Corvo curiously before replying:

“I trust your judgement.”

At Theodanis’ sign, Corvo turned toward one of his men and handed over his coat and belt. When he started to unbutton his waistcoat, the crowd burst into excited whispers as it seemed clear that the handsome Serkonan would fight in some state of undress.

Daud tried to keep an eye on the whole scene while thinking about the implications of it. Attano wasn’t wearing gloves, clearly indicating that he wasn’t marked by the Outsider. When Daud had watched the Serkonan delegation with Void Gaze, no bone charms or runes had attracted his attention. Everything indicated that there was nothing supernatural about his talent, and that he was just that good.

If that was true, he was likely to win his duel and thoroughly humiliate the Overseers. Campbell wouldn’t be in any position to ask for compensation after making a scene against the Empress’ wish. All in all, if Attano won, the Empress won. If he lost however, this would look bad on the Duke. At best, Theodanis would be displeased and in a bad mood for the trade agreements they had planned for the rest of the week.

Daud retreated in the shadows and asked his men: “Is there any chance Attano would lose?”

“I’ll bet on him,” Thomas replied without hesitation.

“That’s because you’d never bet on an Overseer,” Rulfio pointed out with a snort. “It depends on his opponent, Daud. Campbell took his best, but then they aren’t exactly used to fighting someone who can defend himself. And, from what the Duke said, Attano already fought at least one of them.”

Daud nodded in agreement.  

“Well, that’s the kind of party they’ll talk about for weeks,” Rulfio commented in a low voice when Attano removed his shirt, leaving him completely bare-chested.

The bodyguard was well proportioned, with tanned skin and well defined muscles. Nobles were feasting upon the sight while he still had their back turned to them. He’d have to dodge their advances for the rest of his stay.

“Find good vantage points,” Daud ordered. “Make sure that no-one is going to cheat in any way.”

Thomas and Rulfio saluted before disappearing into the crowd. Daud stepped forward, met the Empress’ eyes and stopped by the side of her throne where Emily was standing excitedly at the idea of a duel.

“A warning would have been nice, Daud,” Jessamine murmured.

“Sudden impulse dictated by the whisky, I’m afraid,” Daud replied. “I have my men watching. Bets are on Attano.”

“They better be,” Jessamine grumbled.

Daud retreated to Curnow’s side who offered him a long suffering gaze. Campbell’s foolishness made their work all the more difficult. Maybe this would convince the Empress to get rid of him once and for all. One could always dream.

“Did you speak to Attano?” Daud asked Curnow while the High Overseer was briefing one of his men.

“Briefly. Good soldier from what I gathered. Friendly but not talkative. The Duke likes him and it's mutual,” the Royal Protector reported. After a few seconds, as Attano stepped in front of the throne only wearing tight pants and holding his sword, Curnow added softly: “He asked about you.”

Startled out of his assessment of Attano’s physique (a few scars, mostly from bullets), Daud frowned. “What about me?”

“He mostly wanted to know if the rumors were true about you saving the Empress from the former Spymaster. I think you got an admirer.”

“Now you’re pulling my chain,” Daud huffed.

“Why is it so hard to believe?”

Daud shook his head to conclude the conversation. They had better things to focus on: the duel was about to start.

It seemed extremely unfair at first glance, the Overseer being completely dressed, mask included, while Attano was without armor or shoes. Yet the Serkonan was perfectly calm and waited for his opponent to charge first, blocking with ease and striking back quickly. In a matter of seconds, it was quite clear that the Overseer was outclassed, yet Attano let him last long enough that his superiority was obvious and unquestionable before disarming him.

His victory was met with thunderous applause. Nobles tried to step forward to touch his glistening skin. Attano dodged them without appearing to do so by bowing to the Empress and moving to accept the Duke’s handshake.

Daud snorted. “He’s good.”

“Good?” Curnow repeated with a tilt of his head. “The Overseer was good. Attano is a few steps above. You should offer to spar with him. I’m sure he’d be overjoyed to find someone at his level.”

“In that case, _you_ should offer,” Daud replied before moving back to his quiet and dark corner.

 

oOo

 

The day after, Daud wasn’t exactly surprised to discover that Curnow had taken his advice. He was sparring with Attano in the garden, not far from the gazebo where the Duke and Empress were enjoying the sun after their dinner.

Attano was dressed this time, and the fight was more even, which seemed to please him as he was smiling and exchanging a few words with Curnow.

They were voluntarily on the path to their charges, so Daud nodded to them in greeting as he went to speak to the Empress. He didn’t miss the way Attano’s eyes lingered, even if he tried to hide it behind his hair by nodding back.

Once Daud had finished updating Jessamine on the Serkonan merchants she would meet the next day, he found Thomas with the swordsmen. It surprised him, but it shouldn’t have: Thomas had gotten increasingly friendly with the Royal Protector. In fact, they were standing quite close to each other.

“Daud,” Curnow called. “Do you have some time to take my place? Corvo is hardier than I am.”

Apparently, Curnow was determined to get them to spar. Well, Daud might as well check for himself what Attano was worth and get this over with. He had nothing better to do until his men reported.

“I can spare some time,” he agreed.

Attano brightened like one of his Whalers (the nickname still stuck despite their change of uniform) would at the idea of getting his attention. Contrary to them, he didn’t seem to regret it after five minutes.

As Curnow said, the Serkonan was more than good. He was giving Daud a run for his money, even if the former assassin had never relied on his sword only and as such didn’t care to vie for the title of best swordsman. After a small cut to his forearm, Daud could feel his impending defeat, but he had never pretended to be fair. He waited for the right moment to Bend Time. As everyone else froze around them, Thomas drawled:

“Really, Sir?”

“I don’t play by the rules, you know that.”

“Of course. It’s my mistake for thinking you wouldn’t use it in plain sight.”

“Stand still and it won’t be an issue.”

Daud only adjusted the angle of Attano’s sword before resuming time. It was enough to give him the advantage he needed to disarm the bodyguard in his next move.

Applause came from the gazebo and Curnow, while Attano raised his hands to concede his defeat. Daud had never seen a man so happy to lose.

“Thank you for the spar, Sir. I hope we’ll have the opportunity for a second round before my departure.”

Daud adjusted his gloves thoughtfully. He could imagine worse ways to pass the time. It was refreshing to find another worthy opponent, one with a different style. “I’ll consider it if I have some free time.”

Attano’s smile was a sight to behold.

Daud took his leave. Thomas followed. When they had enough privacy, he commented: “You made an impression on him, Sir.”

“Don’t start.”

“... I’m just saying that it might have been easier for you to lose.”

“I _never_ lose, Thomas. I’m not going to start to spare someone’s feelings.”

“In that case, I’d say you’d have spared _yourself_ his feelings.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to the wonderful _windswept_ who converted me to Thomas/Geoff AND volunteered to beta for this fic. ♥ She edited the first chapter and, thanks to her, I bring you a shiny new one with fewer mistakes. :D

They dueled several times, and it became clear that Attano’s interest in Daud wasn’t as mild as the Spymaster would have preferred (in other terms, Thomas was right, but he wasn’t going to admit it). He chose to ignore it, knowing that the Serkonan would leave soon, and this would be the end of it.

However, when Duke Abele left, Attano stayed. The Duke had called it a diplomatic gesture: he left his best man to increase the Empress’ security. It was rather an incoming headache in Daud’s opinion.

Not that Attano was a bother: he never made a pass at him.

“He asked if you had someone. I told him you didn’t do any kind of relationships,” Thomas finally explained after a few weeks, when it was brought up at a Whalers’ meeting and Daud had scowled at the idea of having to turn Attano down. The man was agreeable enough, but Daud hated those kind of situations.

“Seriously? How did he react?” Rulfio asked curiously.

“He asked if he could ever be Daud’s friend and simply nodded when I said he’d need patience,” Thomas recalled. “I’m pretty sure he’d take anything you give him.”

Daud grunted in acknowledgement, hiding his relief.

“He gave up, just like that?” Galia said sceptically.

“In case you missed it, he’s pretty much the definition of a gentleman,” Leonid commented.

Attano could indeed be the poster boy of the Serkonan Guard. It made it all the more surprising when they discovered he had some hidden layers.

They still spar regularly, if less often, every few weeks or so.

Two months after Corvo’s arrival, Daud had invited him to his men’s training, which meant they had an audience for their usual sword fight. Like it often was the case, Daud was forced to Stop Time after a few minutes.

That day however, Corvo didn’t freeze. He recoiled instead before smiling slowly. “So, that’s how you cheated.”

He took advantage of Daud’s temporary surprise to attack, disarm him and knock him to the ground. As colors came back to them, Corvo crouched over Daud with his blade to his neck. That he was immediately surrounded by Whalers pointing their blades to his back didn’t seem to disturb him.

Daud glanced at Corvo’s left hand covered in bandages. The bodyguard had mentioned an old injury bothering him, and Daud hadn’t even thought to question him. Corvo Attano, a liar and an heretic? Who would have thought…

“Now we might be on even ground,” Corvo said.

A wave of Daud’s fingers and his opponent was lifted of him, held in the air by Daud’s tether. “I wouldn’t be so confident, Attano,” Daud replied as he stood up.

Corvo didn’t try to fight the Pull. He looked rather curious. “I don’t have that one… I think.”

Daud let him go, provoking his short fall, and asked: “Since when are you Marked?”

Corvo gracefully rose from his crouch. “Two weeks. The Outsider said I’d need his powers to protect the Empress and her daughter from what’s to come.”

“And _what_ is coming?” The Spymaster was annoyed. He hadn’t noticed anything irregular lately. What was happening that would caught the Leviathan’s attention and led him to mark another?

“He only gave me a name: Delilah.”

Daud turned toward his men and ordered: “Find me everything about that name.”

Despite their rapt interest for the conversation, they vanished in tendrils of ashes. The well-being of the Empress, their benefactor and a good ruler, was an indisputable priority.

Corvo stood up and smoothed his coat with an expression of curiosity. “They don’t have the Mark.”

“No. I share my powers with them. Now, Attano, tell me _everything_ about your meeting with the Outsider.” Daud stepped up in Corvo’s space and chose to ignore the way he leaned toward him for a brief second.

 

oOo

 

“Excuse me, madam, but that was extremely rude. You don’t kiss people without their permission,” Corvo said to a witch as he held her down while waiting for the sleep dart to take effect.

“Do you always apologize to people you knock out?” Daud asked as he rubbed his lips with the back of his glove.

“I was a bit rough with her. She’ll get bruises.”

“I was going to choke her,” Daud pointed out, deadpan.

Corvo looked up with a soft smirk. “I know. That’s why I stepped in.”

“You’re too good for this world, Attano,” Daud sighed, before starting to search the witch’s house. He had meant to interrogate her, but since the price she was asking for was too high (what in the Void did she want to do with his saliva?!), they’d have to find answers on their own.

“If you say so,” Corvo replied dismissively as he lifted the witch to lay her down on a couch.

Daud watched him from the corner of his eye. They had been collaborating together for a few weeks looking for Delilah Copperspoon. Attano was a reliable ally, someone with whom he liked working. He was growing increasingly fond of him, but in a way which bothered him a little.

“Daud,” Thomas called from the window where he was crouched. “Look who I met…”

On the other side of the road behind him, a familiar figure was leaning on the balcony.

“Billie.”

When he had become Spymaster, his second had refused to follow and taken leadership of those like her who preferred to stay independent from the crown. They were still assassins and thieves (although they had to learn to work without the Arcane bond).

Daud and Billie had an understanding: the last thing they wanted was to step on each other’s toes.

“I’ll finish here, Attano. Go back to the Tower.”

Corvo pursed his lips in displeasure at the clear dismissal and exclusion. He stared at Billie for a few long seconds before nodding and turning around. “As you command, Spymaster.”

 

oOo

 

The pang of betrayal was worse than the sting of the blade on his throat, but what gutted him was the knowledge that his men were going to pay for his mistakes, his men and ultimately the Empress, her daughter, and probably the whole Empire.

In a fit of nostalgia, Daud had gone along with Billie’s offer to deal with Delilah and her coven by reuniting both groups of Whalers. His and hers.

His had been excited at the idea.

Hers had carefully planned their betrayal.

And here he was, forced on his knees in front of Delilah, vines holding him down like chains. The cold of Brigmore Manor’s floor was seeping into his limbs, clashing with the warmth of his anger.

“Delilah, you promised me you wouldn’t kill him,” Billie intervened worriedly.

“I did, didn’t I?” Delilah sighed while her nails dug in Daud’s cheeks. “I can’t see why you’re so eager to spare him, but it doesn’t matter. As long as he’s out of my way…” She waved her hands and walked away. “Kill the others.”

“Don’t you dare!” Daud growled. “Billie, if you harm them, you might as well kill me now or this would be your death warrant,” he hissed, straining against the vines despite their thorns.

Sensing her ally’s hesitation, Delilah turned around in the middle of the stairs and raised a hand toward the spies of the crown lined up before her. The vines holding them constricted.

Before they could do any damage and anyone could react, a flash of light appeared behind Delilah. In the next moment, her head rolled to the ground. The world turned grey. Delilah’s headless body stayed frozen while Corvo neutralized every Whaler assassin and coven witch with a combination of blinks, sleep darts and knockouts. He was in constant motion until every enemy was dealt with.

It was, Daud had to admit to himself, a sight to behold, and a welcome one, no matter how frustrated he was to be in need of a rescue.

When time resumed, Delilah’s body fell in the stairs, and with it all her allies', while Corvo stood tall, watching the area for any hostile he could have missed. No witch came from the more remote rooms. Their leader’s demise had been swift and perfectly silent. They probably would need a few minutes to understand why their powers were gone, if the shock hadn’t knocked them out.

Freed from the vines which had vanished, Daud stood up, briefly glancing at an unconscious Billie before meeting his men’s eyes. They were fine, except for some superficial cuts from the thorns which had gone through their clothes.

They turned toward Corvo to see him gather head and body together before summoning a swarm of rats who eagerly disposed of both. Soon, there would be no more traces of Delilah except for puddles of her blood.

“I won’t ever get used to that,” Rulfio commented with a shudder of disgust and a step back.

Corvo stepped toward them, outwardly impassive. “Spymaster Daud,” he said formally. “The Empress would like a few words.”

Daud sighed and rubbed his jaw. “You told her everything, didn’t you?”

“Of course. I work for her. As you do, I believe.”

“And you’re here because…”

“She asked me to make sure her spymaster would live long enough to explain himself.”

“Of course… bodyguard.”

“That’s my job,” Corvo confirmed pleasantly.

“You could have fooled me,” Daud replied with an expressive look toward the last remains of the witch.

Corvo’s expression turned cold. “You’re welcome,” he said sharply before disappearing in a flash of light.

“I think you pissed him off, Daud,” Rulfio helpfully pointed out.

“That was rude,” Rinaldo agreed.

Daud didn’t need their commentary to recognize his mistake. In fact, he had recognized it as soon as it left his lips. He was pissed, at Billie and her Whalers, Delilah and her coven, but mostly at himself; and he had taken it out on Corvo, like the fool he was making of himself recently.  

Swearing under his breath, Daud brushed his hair back and stared at Billie without really seeing her. The memory of the urchin he had taken in years ago came to mind and brought the question: where did he go wrong?

 

oOo

 

“Thomas told me what you said to Corvo.”

Daud stopped in the middle of the hallway beyond the Empress office’s door and turned around to face Curnow. He raised a polite eyebrow. “Did he?”

The Royal Protector was _not_ amused by the liberties Daud had taken without informing the Empress, and the look he gave him in reply to his baiting was cold steel. Thomas chose well. Their fierce loyalty and composure were perfect match.

“I asked, because Corvo has been… unlike himself lately. I would like to remind you that _his_ job does not include murder on a daily basis.” Unlike yours was implied. “And he wouldn’t have done it if your neck wasn’t on the line. You might want to show appropriate gratefulness, before he dwells on it too much.”

Daud sighed and looked around to check that no-one was listening before admitting: “He’s avoiding me, and he’s frustratingly good at it.”

Curnow snorted and thawed a bit. “He is guarding Lady Emily. She’s in the library.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t screw it up, Daud. I like him,” Curnow said as he went back to his post.

“Yeah, you’re not the only one,” Daud mumbled to himself.

In the library, Corvo was posted right in front of the door and couldn’t miss his entrance. He couldn’t exactly leave his post though, so he just stared into space and ignored him.

Emily, eager to get out of study time, was entirely focused on Daud however.

“Your Highness,” Daud greeted her with a light bow. “May I borrow Captain Attano for a moment?”

“Not unless you’re going to apologize,” she replied disapprovingly.

Surprised that even the Princess knew he had done something wrong (hopefully, she didn’t know the details), Daud froze for a second before tilting his head. “That was the plan.”

“Oh. Good. Then you can. Be nice.”

Corvo reluctantly followed him in the furthest corner of the library.

Daud blurted out to get this over with: “Thank you… for helping at Brigmore Manor.”

“For saving your ass, you mean,” Corvo said with a hint of vindictiveness.

“Yes,” Daud confirmed soberly.

Placated by Daud’s agreement, Corvo sighed and nodded. “You’re welcome. It would have been a shame to lose the Spymaster and his best men. I heard you can be useful, on occasion.”

Daud snorted and smirked. “It has been known to happen.”

Watching him hesitantly, Corvo asked: “Aren’t you angry? That I told the Empress?”

“You made the right call,” Daud admitted reluctantly. It’s as far as he was going to go to admit publicly that he had made a mistake. He already had to be more truthful to Jessamine than he preferred: he had explained his relationship with Billie and how he had let his personal feelings interfere with his work, and even if she had forgiven him for his error in judgement, he wasn’t going to let anyone else stick their nose in his business.

Daud was having a hell of a week. He had let Billie and her Whalers go on the condition that they leave Gristol and never appear in front of him ever again. Jessamine had approved of his decision, and so did his men, but he just felt tired, with a heavy weight on his shoulders and a bitter taste on his tongue.

Corvo didn’t look so good either though, and that was probably his fault (a recurring theme). Once again, Daud wasn’t sure how to make up for his mistakes. Curnow had mentioned showing gratefulness. It was done (Curnow couldn’t have expected more than a simple ‘thank you’, he wasn’t deluded). What else? Ah, yes. The Princess had demanded an apology. It was proper when you screwed up, he heard.

“What I said at the manor… it was inappropriate. You did what was necessary, and I didn’t mean to…” Unable to find the right words, he huffed and waved a hand. “I apologize.”

The corner of Corvo’s lips curled up. “I’m sorry, what was that? I don’t think I heard you right.”

“Don’t push it,” Daud grumbled fondly, his lips mirroring Corvo’s.

“Apology accepted,” Corvo finally said, and his shoulders lowered in a more relaxed stance. “I think I get it. She mattered to you, didn’t she? Billie?”

“Yeah,” Daud breathed, looking out of the window at the grey clouds passing by. The winds were favorable. Hopefully, Billie was well on her way out of Gristol, wherever she went.

Daud straightened and went to take his leave, satisfied with the simple peace they had reached.

Corvo called him back. As Daud glanced at him over his shoulder, the bodyguard hesitated and seemed to swallow back his words, choosing to say instead: “If you need to let off steam, just let me know.”

“... I will.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning on 2 chapters at first, but Daud dealing with feelings apparently needs at least 3. So see you again for the next part (probably the end... I think...). :3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. At first, I was busy participating in a Dishonored charity fanzine, then life got in the way, but here is the ending! =)

“How solid is this tip?”

“Bianca is a trusted informant, sir,” Rinaldo replied.

Daud nodded in acknowledgement, but he was tapping his desk restlessly. Of all the things he had heard lately, learning that the Overseers were investigating Corvo for heresy was the icing on the cake. “Find as much as you can. What tipped them off, if they have witnesses, proof, who is in charge of the investigation… Everything, and if it’s possible to make it disappear,” he demanded.

Rinaldo and Thomas glanced at each other. The latest volunteered to point out: “The only one who could tell us that is… Martin, Sir.”

Daud groaned in disgust but nodded in agreement. “Do what’s necessary. Let me know what the snake wants in exchange. Attano is too close to the Empress for him to fall.”

“Of course,” his men agreed before disappearing in swirls of ashes.

Daud smoothed his hair down as he leaned back in his armchair. He should have guessed that Campbell wouldn’t take his humiliation well and keep a grudge toward Corvo. The High Overseer’s corruption was double-edged. Daud could manipulate him by using his sins to his advantage (his spies in the Golden Cat had brought him quite a few interesting tips), but he was still a bane for Dunwall.

The Spymaster opened a drawer and took out a thick binder. It seemed it was time to get rid of the degenerate, once and for all. He had prepared for this, biding his time until the right moment. 

He opened the binder and made sure all the evidence against the High Overseer was neatly sorted. The silvergraph on top, one he had acquired a few days ago, was the choice piece of his collection: it showed Campbell sleeping near a terrorized girl, no more than fourteen, both of them naked. It had required a lot of maneuvering, but with this, Daud was sure he could finally convince the Empress to do some cleanup.

Daud stretched his neck.

Once upon a time, he had started his life as an assassin convinced that he could change the world, an asshole at a time. Bit by bit, he had lost sight of this goal, letting money and power get to his head — until he had been asked to kill Jessamine.

He had been so close to doing it. He had sent one of his apprentices to the Tower to be a servant so he could learn the Royals' schedule. After a week, the apprentice hadn’t shown up for their scheduled meeting. Daud had to go check on him in the middle of the night and got an armful of apprentice begging him to spare the Empress, because she and her daughter were just “the kindest, bestest people, I swear to the Void, Daud!”

“Sir, the Empress is ready to see you.” Pavel froze in the doorway at the intense gaze his superior sent him. “W-what?”

Daud sighed and stood up. “Any bestest news?”

The teenager’s shoulders drooped, all pretence of professionalism gone, and he whined: “Are you ever going to let it go?!”

“No.”

“It was just a slip of the tongue!”

“You mangling the language wasn’t the problem,” Daud said as he closed his office’s door behind him. “Did you adopt any strays lately?”

Pavel brightened. “I found the cutest, bravest kitten on the shore last week! I think someone tried to drown him. Can you believe it?!”

“Yes.”

“But that’s so mean!”

Daud sighed and shook his head, rubbing his temple. He knew when he sent Pavel to the Tower that it was risky, but the boy had the perfect temperament to be a servant; he wouldn’t have been noticed by Spymaster Burrows. On that he had been right: Pavel’s cover had been safe. Daud’s resolve, on the other hand, had crumbled in front of the kid’s idealism like the old sentimental man that Billie had accused him of being.

Daud had immediately removed Pavel from his position and brought him back to their hideout, where he had been on clean up duty for a month — officially, for skipping the meeting. It had been too late, though. The seed of doubt had been planted in Daud’s mind, and a week later he had warned the Empress of her Spymaster’s treason. Two days more and Burrows died by his blade. Three weeks more and Daud officially became Royal Spymaster, provoking quite the delightful scandal.

He should have taken care of Campbell while he was at it.

He would correct this oversight shortly.

 

oOo

 

“Corvo Attano?”

The Overseer walking toward the bodyguard had a lopsided smile, looking dangerously like a smirk. He held out his hand without waiting for a confirmation. “Teague Martin. I have been appointed to the Tower, following the recent… events.”

Meaning the High Overseer’s death — Campbell’s overindulgence had gotten the better of him: it was incongruous to think he died from  _ food poisoning _ , of all things — the Feast of Painted Kettles, and Yul Khulan’s appointment as new High Overseer.

Corvo didn’t see the connection with him. He accepted the handshake, but his puzzlement must have come through somehow.

“I have heard a lot about you. I’m glad your troubles with the Abbey are in the past, and I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“I’m sorry, what troubles are you talking about?” Corvo asked with a tilt of his head.

Martin’s smirk widened but, before he could reply, they were interrupted by the arrival of Thomas. The vice-Spymaster looked perfectly professional and nodded politely in greeting, but when he spoke, his tone allowed no refusal: “Sorry to interrupt, but may I have a word with you, Corvo?”

Left with no polite way to stay, Martin took a step back, but his smirk had gotten impossibly wider. “I’ll see you later.”

Thomas led Corvo toward a secluded balcony. “You should speak to Daud before Martin tries to corner you again.”

Now certain that he was missing something, Corvo crossed his arms. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not at liberty to say. Just… don’t trust Martin. He’s a snake.”

“Yet he got a position in the Tower, when all Overseers working here have to be approved by the Royal Spymaster.”

Thomas nodded in acknowledgement. “A necessary risk. If you want to know more, you need to speak to Daud.”

“All right. Where is he?”

“In his office.”

Corvo nodded and left to get answers. He didn’t like the sound of what Martin said. What troubles with the Abbey? Was he referring to Campbell’s attempt at discrediting him in front of Theodanis and the whole court, leading to a duel? That was eight months ago, far before he got tangled with any kind of heresy, and he had proven himself at the time. It was over with. Wasn’t it?

After a knock at the Royal Spymaster’s door, he heard the call to enter. The door was barely closed behind him when he asked: “Teague Martin. Some supposed troubles with the Abbey. And me. What’s the link?”

Daud looked up from his paperwork and glanced at him, unimpressed. “Good day to you too,” he said before going back to the letter he was reading.

Corvo stepped forward with a roll of his eyes. “Like you ever bother with social niceties.” He dropped in a chair in front of the desk and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs.

He was becoming familiar with the room. From time to time, Daud invited him for a drink after a spar or a long day of work. Not that they were heavy drinkers. They nursed the same glass for however long until Daud got tired of company; it was just an excuse to chat.

They had become friends. At least, that’s what Corvo was pretty sure they were, even if Daud would probably not be caught dead admitting it. The infatuation bordering on hero worship that Corvo had for the Royal Spymaster when he arrived in Dunwall had mostly disappeared, to be firmly replaced by a deep fondness for the gruff, competent and reliable man. Corvo could admit to himself that he ached for something more than friendship, that aesthetically speaking his fellow Serkonan was quite pleasing to his sensibilities, and that he was inexplicably tempted to touch (like one unwisely longed to touch a mesmerizing predator). 

However, it wasn’t on the table — so friendship it was.

“Daud,” Corvo tried to insist.

Surprisingly, he didn’t have to try much. Daud explained without hesitation: “The Abbey suspected you of heresy. Campbell knew how to hold a grudge, and he had his ways. I dealt with it.”

The coincidence was so obvious that it suddenly became an evidence when it had only been a rumor that he had dismissed a few days before. “…Did you assassinate Campbell?”

Daud leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you hear? It was food poisoning. Seafood, it can be unforgiving.”

“Especially with some help.”

The Spymaster’s lips stretched in a self-satisfied smirk. It shouldn’t be so enticing.

Corvo cleared his throat and brushed his hair out of his face. “You didn’t get rid of him just because of me, right? And what about Martin?”

“It was overdue,” Daud replied soberly on the first matter before shrugging. “Martin’s loyalty is to himself first and foremost. He helps on occasion, but always at a price.”

“... Like getting a position in the Tower?”

Daud tilted his head in confirmation.

“That’s a lot of risks to take.”

“Barely. Campbell was unanimously hated. Even if some have doubts, no-one is willing to make a fuss about it. It suits everyone. As for Martin, I can easily keep an eye on him in the Tower.”

As proven by Thomas’ interruption.

“Still… thank you,” Corvo said.

Daud froze, clearly unused to receiving thanks. He finally shrugged. “I owed you one, as I recall.”

“No need to keep count. That’s what friends do.” It was blatant fishing, and Corvo couldn’t be bothered to be embarrassed about it.

“... I suppose it is,” Daud admitted. Faced with a radiant smile, he groaned and gestured for the door. “Get out. I have work to do.”

“Far be it from me to stand between the Royal Spymaster and his work,” Corvo said as he stood up. “Food poisoning no doubt requires a lot of careful planning.” 

He dodged a pen in extremis and ducked in the hallway with a burst of laughter.

 

oOo

 

A few days later, Thomas bluntly announced to Daud: “Martin is interested in Corvo.”

The cigar Daud was holding froze above the ashtray for a second. “Is he?”

“Mostly self-interest, of course. You protected him so he’s important, somehow. I think he’s genuinely attracted to him, though.” Thomas was good at noticing those kinds of things. How people worked, what they thought, their urges, their motives… He was a true spy, more than he had ever been an assassin — that was Daud and Billie.  

Daud smoke with a displeased frown. “What do you suggest?”

“We warned him, so Corvo will probably ignore any serious advances, but he’s not the kind to be unfriendly with someone cordial enough, and he has had no lovers since he came to Dunwall, so a casual dalliance isn’t out of the question.”

“Please,” Daud grunted in disgust. “He could choose anyone else. Half the Court is thirsting after him, including the Empress.” Thomas shifted and Daud raised the hand holding his cigar in warning. “Don’t say it.”

Thomas widened his eyes innocently, as if he hadn’t been ready to remind his boss that Corvo only had eyes for him. “Say what, Sir?”

Daud glared, unimpressed by the guileless act.

“I was simply going to suggest that, considering your interest, you should talk to him,” Thomas said helpfully.

“About what?”

“Feelings.”

Daud snorted and exhaled a cloud of smoke, careful not to blow it in Thomas’ face despite his disdain for the suggestion. “How do you figure this is going to end apart from a disaster? With a happy ever after? A wedding and three kids?”

“Those are hardly the only ways to make a relationship worthwhile,” Thomas replied with pursed lips. “Geoff and I are content despite the need to stay discreet.”

“Because you are on the same page.”

“And how do you think that happened? Telepathy?” Thomas asked, deadpan. “We’re on the same page because we talked about each other’s expectations, needs and wishes. Just try it. If it doesn’t work, you won’t have anything to regret.”

“What makes you think I’m interested?”

“I have never seen you with someone like you are with Corvo... like you’re equals.”

“On that, you might be right,” Daud murmured after a moment of thought, bringing the cigar to his lips distractedly. Most of his relationships were hierarchically uneven. The Whalers were his subalterns. The Empress was his superior, and so was the Princess despite her youth. Apart from them, who did he talk to regularly? Curnow? Yes, the Royal Protector might be his equal, but they had little in common out of their work.

With Corvo, on the other hand, he could talk easily: of Serkonos, the Outsider, the Mark… Daud had even surprised himself by briefly talking of his childhood the last time they shared a drink. Corvo had also seemed eager to learn what kind of books Daud liked to read, impressed by the bookcases covering his office’s walls. The conversation came easily and, even when it didn’t, the silence was comfortable.

Daud sighed, letting out a trickle of smoke, and squashed the butt of his cigar in the ashtray. “We might be friends,” he admitted.

Thomas held back a smile. Feeling that Daud had reached his limit for company, he nodded and went to leave.

“But I can’t give him what he wants,” Daud said to his back.

Thomas glanced back with a raised eyebrow. “How can you know what he wants, Sir, if you don’t ask?”  

Daud stared at the door closed after a last bow and huffed fondly. “Cheeky boy.”

 

oOo

 

In Daud’s opinion, Dunwall always looked better from the rooftops by night. Misery and grime were hidden by darkness and distance. Lamplights gave new relief to buildings and shined over the river. The city looked peaceful. It was nearly beautiful.  

Footsteps sounded out behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts. He glanced over his shoulder at the silhouette walking in his direction on the waterlock roof while looking at the unobstructed view of the river.

Corvo turned toward him with a smile as he reached him and the parapet against which Daud was resting. “I was wondering at your choice of meeting place. I thought it a discreet place to get rid of me; I see I hadn’t accounted on your romantic side.” He leaned his elbows on the stone wall reaching his waist and assessed the drop. “There are worse places to get rid of a body.”

“If you weigh them, sure,” Daud agreed noncommittally, playing with a cigarette he was mostly using to keep his hands busy.

The bodyguard raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. “I don’t think I want to know.” When Daud only hummed in reply, Corvo asked: “What’s wrong?”

“Why would something be wrong?”

“Because you asked me to be here and now you’re being cagey… at least more cagey than usual, which I didn’t know possible. If you’re going to get rid of me for the good of the Empire, I thank you for the honor of taking care of it yourself.”

“Of course,” Daud replied huskily after a breath of smoke. “Nothing less for a friend.”

Corvo chuckled wryly, but the rise of his lips couldn’t be hidden.

“But you’re still more useful to the Empress alive than dead.”

“Good to know.”

Silence settled comfortably between them. Daud let it last for a while before he finally managed to find a few words which seemed safe and personal enough to start the conversation he wanted: “It’s my favorite place in the palace to think in peace.”

“I can see why.”

Daud huffed and smoked some more. This wasn’t working. Conversation with Corvo was usually easier than this, but then they had always stayed firmly away from the whale in the room.

Corvo had become tense, sensing that Daud was displeased but unsure of why or how to sort it out.

Stubbing out his cigarette on the wall, Daud straightened and shook his head. Neither of them was in the right mindset for this shit. “Let’s go for a walk,” he offered without waiting for Corvo to refuse. He had transversed away in the next breath.

The walk ended up as a chase around Dunwall, Corvo always a step behind Daud. After half an hour, they got exhausted enough that Daud slowed down. Corvo caught up through pure athleticism rather than magic. He seemed as annoyed as amused, a strange combination which led him to press Daud against a chimney stack somewhere in the Estate District.

Both of them breathed heavily, their eyes meeting while they took their time calming down from the chase.

“What’s gotten into you?” Corvo finally asked. “You have something in your mind. What is it?”

Daud was physically tired enough that it trumped his mental exhaustion and doubt. He admitted: “I don’t do relationships.”

“So I’ve been told,” Corvo agreed, his face closing off slightly as he pulled back. “If I—”

“I might be willing to do an exception for you.”

Caught wrong-foot, Corvo gaped slightly, his eyes widening. “What? You… I mean… I thought...”

Daud tilted his head back against the bricks, secretly glad that he managed to get Corvo off kilter, since this made him seem the most confident when he had no idea what he was doing.

“Are you serious?” Corvo managed to ask.

“Would I joke about it?”

“No, but I don’t want you to feel pressured…” At Daud’s unimpressed eyebrow, Corvo faltered and quieted down. He looked like a lost puppy. “I want you to be sure. I like being your friend. I don’t want to lose that. It means more to me than anything else you’d give me.”

Daud patted one of his pockets for a cigarette and his lighter. This damn situation stressed him more than a noble conspiracy. He hissed when the cigarette wouldn’t light, and Corvo moved to shield him from the sharp wind blowing over the roofs. After getting a smoke, he felt confident enough to reply. 

“Let’s get one thing straight first. I hate smutty novels as much as the romance ones, so if that’s what you expect we can both call it off and forget this ever happened. I’m not much into sex as a rule. It’s fine, I guess, but I don’t see what all the fuss is about. We're having this conversation only because of what you said to Lady Emily yesterday evening.”

Corvo blinked and took it all in stride. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to recall the discussion he had with the Princess during dinner. “When I told her that I’d wish my lover to be my best friend, because intimacy is more important than passion?”

“Yes. Not that I am—”

“Actually, you are,” Corvo interrupted. “Geoff is also a great friend, but… Well, he’s taken,” he added with a mischievous smile before becoming serious again. “You are one of my dearest friends in Dunwall, and I’d love nothing more than to be more intimate with you in whatever capacity you allow me to be.”

It looked like he had lost his breath in the attempt to confess those last words.

Daud turned his head to exhale a cloud of smoke but couldn’t look away. “And if it’s not enough for you?”

“Unlikely, but then I’d ask to remain your friend.”

Daud’s gloved fingers closed on Corvo’s waistcoat and tugged him closer. “Just like that?”

“Yes,” Corvo insisted. When his friend only hummed in reply, he fidgeted, unsettled by their closeness but the lack of any real touch. “May I kiss you?” he blurted out.

Daud’s answer was to pull him flush and kiss him, welcoming his weight when Corvo leaned into him in pursuit of his warmth. The kiss was tentative, slow and brief. Their lips parted, but they hovered close. Their foreheads touched, and they held each other eyes when Daud asked: “What is intimacy to you?”

“Touch. Understanding. Simple looks and smiles meaning far more…”

“What kind of touches?”

“Just… this. You have no idea how much I’ve been wanting to lean against you, rest my hand on you...” Corvo looked down at his fingers playing with the lapel of Daud’s red coat (the quality of the fabric had changed, but Daud had mostly kept his assassin look when in informal settings).

Daud sighed, a breath free of smoke, and threw down his cigarette on the tiles, stubbing it out with his heel. “You’re too easy to please, Attano.”

“Is that a complaint?”

“Yes.” He transversed behind Corvo and reversed their position, pushing Corvo's back to the chimney and cupping his jaw to allow for a deeper kiss. When he pulled back, leaving his companion breathless, he commented with a smirk: “I said that I wasn’t into sex every damn day, not that I was a blushing maiden.”

Corvo burst into laughter, hitting his head against the bricks and laughing all the more. “Good to know,” he managed to say between chuckles, his eyes shining in joy. Once calmer, he said, pleased: “I think we can make this work.”

“If not, just remember I know how to make your body disappear.”

Corvo smirked and waved his marked hand. “So do I.”

“You’d throw your damn rats at me?”

“Didn’t you hear? All is fair in love and war.”

Daud groaned in mock disgust. “That’s it. You have gone too far. I’m out.”

He transversed away, toward the Tower. He wasn’t as fast as he could be. Grinning, Corvo caught up to him three houses further, catching his hand and pulling him into a kiss to ‘make it up to him’.

They needed twice as much time to return as they did to leave. It had little to do with their fatigue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to the wonderful [windswept](http://wantonlywindswept.tumblr.com/), who is still the beta for this chapter, and still the sweetest. ♥
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this! You can find me at: [ashkaarishok.tumblr.com](http://ashkaarishok.tumblr.com/)


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